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September 3, 2015

Do You Have a Needle Phobia or Just a Dislike?

Of the several members of our support
group on insulin, only one was very upset about having to inject
himself several times a day with insulin. Now that he has done it
for three years, he admits it is not as hard as he thought it would
be. Yes, he is like the rest of us injecting insulin and admits he
is getting tired of the daily injections, but with the management
level he now has, he is happy he is capable of doing this.

In talking a few times this summer, we
have put together several ideas that we felt could make it easier for
people starting on insulin, type 1 and type 2:

#1. Learn that it won't be as bad as
you imagine. Jason said the thought was worse than actually
doing the injections. He continued that after the first injection,
the following injections were a lot easier. Even A.J admitted he had
heard many of the myths about injecting insulin and he now knows that
they are not true.

Jason said that the needles are very
thin and the areas where we need to inject are almost nerve free and
injecting is often less painful that using the lancet on the sides of
our finger tips. Jason continued that you can sometimes hit a nerve,
but the pain does not last long and you sometimes have to remember
this and once you get past the first injection, the fear should
disappear – unless you have a real phobia about sharp objects.

#2. Use the right tool. In the
past, the syringe needles were larger and this could by itself be
frightening. Now most syringes have 30 gauge needles an are one-half
inch in length or shorter. We even suggest asking your pharmacist
for the shortest needles and the thinnest needles available.
Although I occasionally use a syringe more than one time, it is best
to use a fresh needle or syringe only once, as even one use dulls the point
of the needle enough to cause discomfort if reused.

Most of us have thought about using a
pen, but the cost for us is the deciding factor. Others do prefer
the pen to the syringe. They find it easier to dial the dose on a
pen than it is to see the markings on a syringe.

#3. Focus on fat. In this case,
"Fat is good!" Allen says. To work properly, insulin is
supposed to be injected into fatty tissue. Allen is thin and we
sometimes kid him about finding fat so he can inject. Even he says
that it is good getting shots in fleshy sections of your body is less
painful than it would be in leaner areas. The stomach, upper arms,
thighs, and buttocks all tend to be good spots.

We all agree that to make shots as
painless as possible:

Always inject insulin at room
temperature.

Let the alcohol you use to clean
your skin dry so it doesn't burn if you even use alcohol.

Relax the part of your body you're
targeting.

You should also insert and remove the
needle in a swift, smooth manner without shifting direction. Most of
us count to five or ten seconds to prevent leaks when we remove the
needle from the area where we inject. We also rotate the areas where
we inject to prevent scar tissue from building up and making it more
difficult for the insulin to disperse.

Jason said he learned if you're still
bothered by the prick of the needle, use a cold spoon to numb the
area first. And, it helps to take some deep breaths and calm
yourself, especially when you’re new to the process.

#4. Talk to your doctor immediately
if you suspect an allergy. Very few people have an allergy to
the insulins of today, but a few do.

#5. Do not let your doctor use
insulin as the medication of last resort. Many doctors do this
and insulin is often delayed until complications begin to develop.
Many doctors are uncomfortable with insulin and do not want to
prescribe insulin until they are forced to prescribe insulin. It is
unfortunate that many of these same doctors will belittle patients to
have them stay on oral medications and others will tell the patients
they have failed if they need insulin.

If number 5 (#5) happens to you, find
another doctor or possibly an endocrinologist.

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About Me

I am enjoying life, despite diabetes type 2. I am retired and enjoying the time I have for writing and photography. I was diagnosed with type 2 on Oct 2003, on oral meds for 4 months and they were doing nothing to really improve my daily readings. By cutting my carbohydrates I received the most improvement, but still not enough. Then I requested insulin, even though I did not like the thought of needles. That brought about the biggest change and A1c's in the lower 6's and upper 5's. Now I am working at maintaining them under 6.0 and hopefully nearer 5.5.